


Johnny Boy

by apple_cidre



Category: The Outsiders (1983), The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Johnny Boy, Johnny’s POV, Mentions of Suicide, Smoking, Stay Gold Ponyboy, Twenty one pilots references, Violence, maybe some fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21889282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apple_cidre/pseuds/apple_cidre
Summary: Get up Johnny boy, get up Johnny boyGet up 'cause the world has left you lying on the groundYou're my pride and joy, you're my pride and joyGet up Johnny boy because we all need you, nowWe all need you, now
Relationships: Johnny Cade & Dallas Winston, Johnny Cade & Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade & Two-Bit Mathews, the whole gang n shit
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	Johnny Boy

**Author's Note:**

> aight so hi  
> outsiders fic, huh?  
> i’m obsessed with the song johnny boy and the character johnny cade soooo
> 
> i try to use as much slang and the way of their language in here
> 
> also, i made the dialogue as closely to the book as possible, cause i don’t just wanna rewrite the thing since it’s plagiarism and possibly illegal

Johnny Cade never had it easy. There were troubles around about every corner. At this point, he was used to it. Used to how his ol’ man beats him. How his mother was either ignoring him or hollering at him for something. Used to being pushed around on the streets and dealing with socs. He was fine for the most part, knowing that he had the gang with him. Dally Winston, Keith, famously known as Two-Bit, Matthews, Steve Randle, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy Curtis. They made everythin’ just about alright.

Until the day he got jumped badly. Even worse than when he got the belt from dad. It was the socs, o’ course. Johnny was walking alone, huntin’ for a football. Nobody was out on the streets at the time, and so he assumed it was safe.

What a bad call.

He wasn’t checkin’ around for anybody, so he only noticed a blue Mustang pull up beside him too late. A buncha socs came out, and they were all bigger than him. A lot of people were. Johnny was 16, yet he still looked like a 14-year-old kid. He was just about the size of Pony. 

“Well, would’ya look at this? A little greaser lost his way to get home?” One black-haired soc said. He had on a nice-looking madra and some rings on his hand. In comparison to the socs, Johnny looked like he gets his clothes from rummaging through a trash can.

Instead of waiting to reply, he tried to make a run for it, but they caught up to him quickly. He got slugged and was on the ground in mere seconds.he was grabbed by the collar and had his head slammed into the concrete of the sidewalk again.

“Aw, don’t run away now. We’re just havin’ some fun,” a sinister voice chuckled.

His head was spinning and throbbing. Still, even though he was scared out of his mind, he tried keeping his voice steady and defiant. “You’re outta your territory. You’d better flake off before the rest of my gang comes truckin’ down here and knocking the lights out of you,” he spat.

The socs only grinned, and the fire drained from him. _Don’t you start breaking down now_ , he scolded himself, _you’ve taken a beating from pa, like these snobs could-_

“Wow, he’s got some other panty-waists that’ll join him on the ground here, too?” Johnny tried getting up and running, but once again was back down quick. The black-haired soc pinned him down with a mischievous grin. He punched him straight on the cheek just to make his headache worse. “Alright, grease, go on and cry. See if your other greasy pals come.”

Johnny made a weak attempt to shove him off, which the socs only saw as an invitation to start slugging and throwing him around. He couldn’t do anything, and he was just getting battered and cut up. _Don’t go cryin' out, Don’t make a sound_ , was what he was telling himself while they kept beating him.

A big soc sent a mighty blow straight into his gut, and he couldn’t keep from cryin’ out. “That’s right, greaser,” he taunted and continued to slug it out on him. 

Soon, blood was dripping from a wide gash on his face caused by the heavy rings one of the socs was wearing. They kept saying things like they’d kill him and his friends. Nobody would give a hang about him ever. Greasers are nothing and would never be nothing. They spat tons of things at him, but Johnny was too out of it at this point. It was over quickly, but it felt like hours until it ended.

Faintly, he heard someone say, “Look, the kid’s barely breathing. Better scram before the police get ‘ere.” Then they were gone, leaving him on the ground.

He didn’t know how long he was laying there out on the street, bleeding. His jacket lay around somewhere, but he made no effort to go and grab it. At this point, he went numb. He stared blankly at the ground beneath him. He would rather take a beating from his old man than this any day. How long was he left there for? He didn’t know. All he knew was that there was nobody out there for him at that moment. It’s like that often. He waited too long for someone to come. _Maybe I finally died_ , he thought, but it seemed a bit absurd.

Right after that thought, though, he felt someone shaking him. “Johnny! Hey, Johnnycake,” a familiar voice said.

Johnny kept his eyes shut, but he thought for a moment and recognized who it was. “Soda?” _Thank God. Please tell me the rest of the gang is here. Where’s D-_

“Yeah, it’s me.” Soda said something else, but Johnny wasn’t listening. His words sounded far away and the memories of what had just happened vividly came back to him. He was hurting all over and moving the smallest bit made him ache like hell. It all shook him to the core.

Suddenly, he started spilling out what the socs did to him. “There was so many of ‘em. A blue Mustang full. Them socs got me so scared, shit, I-” he broke off and started to sob. Even that hurt to do, but he kept crying. Sodapop held him comfortingly, but he was still shaking. He told them the whole story of what happened. While he was telling them, he could see the horror and anguish displayed on all of the gang’s expressions. he looked down at himself and saw the blood stains all over his old, cheap clothes.

The gang tried their best to comfort him. He couldn’t go home to his parents in this state that night. His old man wouldn’t care, and his mom would yell at him for any excuse. Not being careful, he did it to himself, whatever. He stayed over at the Curtis house instead. He was layin’ on the couch, covered in bandages. He was still hearing the awful remarks and jeers from the socs that hurt him. It was almost enough to make him break down again.

It was around 12 PM, and Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy were all taking turns watchin’ over him. It must have seemed like Johnny was asleep to him, cause Pony, who was currently with him, started to leave. before he was out of the room, though, Johnny called him back. he was too scared to be left alone. 

“Hey, it’s alright Johnny boy. I’m here.” Pony sat on the floor with his back leaning up against the couch.

Johnny cried again that night. He told Ponyboy that he was scared. They were gonna hurt all of them. He was better off dead. Tons more nonsense. Pony comforted him, which helped only a little, and they both fell asleep leaning against each other.

After that awful event, Johnny didn’t go nowhere without a pocket knife with ‘em. Almost anything could scare him half to death. He swore that he would never be the same. The socs would always torment him. He’s always talkin’ about killing himself. He didn’t know how he would go through with it, but it was just his way to escape his mind. Knowing that there’s an easy out if he needs it.

Over four months later, Johnny’s finding himself sitting next to some broad socs while watching a movie. Two pretty girls named Cherry and Marcia. Ponyboy was with him, too. Dallas had left after a few failed attempts at flirting with Cherry. Soon after, Two-Bit had joined them out there after scaring the life out of him and Pony. He was doing an impersonation of a big soc, and it sure worked. He talked with the two girls and learned that not all socs were big and mean and snobby. It was a bit hard to believe since after his incident. But Cherry was sweet, at least to people on her good side. She spat venom at Dally, which would’ve gotten anybody else pounded into the ground, but thankfully he left her in one piece. He wouldn’t exactly say that he left her alone. He also learned that the two socs came here with their boyfriends, but since they brought booze along they got into an argument and they left Cherry and Marcia without a ride.

After the movie was over, the five of them were walkin’ along when a blue Mustang came rolling down the road. Johnny gulped and suppressed a shudder. 

“Who is it, the FBI?” Two-Bit asked with a grin.

“No. Randy and Bob.” One of the girls said, Johnny wasn’t paying very much attention to what they were saying. Their voices seemed distant and he stuck close to Pony and Two-Bit with fear. 

“And a few of the other socially elite checkered-shirt set,” commented Two-Bit grimly.

“Your boyfriends?” Johnny managed to keep his voice steady and calm, but he knew he was anything but that. Ponyboy seemed to notice.

His question wasn’t directly answered, but he probably already knew it. They continued walking till the Mustang passed by without noticing them. When it was out of sight, Johnny could finally breathe. His heart was pounding still. Come on, Johnny. You’ve got Two-Bit and Pony with you.

When he calmed down enough, he tuned back in on the conversation. Cherry was askin’ Pony about Darrel.

Johnny watched Pony’s face as he thought of what to say. It didn’t look too good. “He’s not like Sodapop at al and he ain’t like me. He’s as hard as rock and about as human. He thinks I’m a pain in the neck. He probably wishes he could stick me in a home somewhere.” Johnny’s eyes widened as he thought about his own life at home. He felt he knew what Pony was talkin’ about. “Gee, Pony, I thought you and Darry and Soda got along real well…”

“Well, we don’t! An’ you can shut your trap, Johnny Cade, we both know you ain’t wanted at home either!” he snapped. 

Johnny winced while Two-Bit smacked Pony on the side of the head, hard and firm. He scolded him and said something to Johnny while Pony apologized to him. He wasn’t listening.

“He’s right. It’s the truth; I don’t care” He grinned sadly, eyes clouding. 

“We wouldn’t get along without you so you can shut up!” Two-Bit ruffled his hair. Johnny knew he loved the gang. They were all he really had, but sometimes he just wished that his real family could just take the time to acknowledge him. Just to look at him without disdain or acting like he was some trash they’d stepped in. Even if it was just once in a great while, he wanted to hear them say they were proud of him. That’s all he wants. For them to care about him as much as the gang did.

He knew it wasn’t normal. To be treated like he was less than human from his own family. To have to find that decency from anyone else. Dally, Two-Bit, Ponyboy, Soda, Steve, Darry. He was even noticed more from Tim Shepard than his damn old man. Every kid loves his mom and dad, right? Every kid’s love gets returned from them, right? Why couldn’t that be like that for him?

He broke out of his thoughts when he heard Ponyboy.

“It ain’t fair! Why do we get all the rough breaks instead of the socs? They get everything. With their Mustangs and Corvairs. Fancy, tuff stuff…”

Johnny wanted to respond, knowing very well how his friend felt, but Two-Bit beat him to it.

While Pony was being consoled, Johnny noticed the blue Mustang coming down the road again. He stiffened and felt the color drain from his face. _No, no. Don’t tell me they’re back already._ His breathing became irregular as the car stopped and a couple socs came out. Though they didn’t seem to notice him and his fellow greasers. They were only looking at the girls.

“Cherry, Marcia, listen…” one of them began. Johnny recognized him with dread. The black-haired, good-lookin’ soc that cut him up real good those months ago. “Just cause we got a little drunk-“

“I wouldn’t call reeling and passing out in the streets ‘a little’,” Cherry snapped. “Bob, I told you I’m never going out with you when you’re drinking. It’s either me or the booze.”

The other soc that Johnny recalled as another guy that attacked him stepped up. “Even if you are mad at us, that’s no reason to be hangin’ out with these bums,” he sneered.

Two-Bit took a drag and rested his elbow on Johnny, who had stiffened and put his hands in his jean pockets. Pony leaned against a fence with his head tilted back, eyes trained on the socs. The three greasers made it look so easy, looking so fierce. It was their specialty.

“Who’re you callin’ bums?” Two-Bit said, blowing out a puff of smoke. He looked so calm, while Johnny on the other hand was freaking out. He wished he had a cigarette to calm his nerves.

“Listen, greasers, we’ve got four more of us in the back.”

Keith Matthews didn’t seem fazed a bit. “Then pity the back seat.” He always was so cool during these situations. He was always a good fighter. He and Johnny were a good pair in a rumble. He looked up to the older greaser, always crackin’ jokes, showin’ off his razor-sharp blade. He admired him a ton. It was a in a different way as he did Dally. Dally was gallant, but Two-Bit was just always as happy as Soda, never serious and can make almost anyone grin in any situation. He wished he could be as cool and easygoing as him, but that’ll never happen again.

“If you’re looking for a fight…”

Two-Bit just grabbed an empty pop bottle and smashed it, tossing the end to Ponyboy and flipping out his own switchblade. Johnny himself reached for his own blade in the back pocket of his jeans, feeling comforted by it.

Before anything could go down, though, Cherry broke in. “No! Bob, I’ll go with you.” She interrupted a protesting Two-Bit, “I can’t stand fights.”

It was pretty quick. The socs hopped back in their car and the sinister blue Mustang sped off, claiming those fancy babes.

Johnny was still a little shocked and walked on with his buds. Two-Bit went off his own way later, so he was only with Ponyboy. 

The night was cold, no, _fuckin’ freezing_ , and he only had an old, worn jean jacket. He pitied Pony, though, who’s shirt didn’t even have sleeves. They stopped by the lot and lit a fire.

“It’s cause we’re greasers,” he sighed, holding out a cigarette, “we could’ve hurt them girls’ reputations.”

“I know,” Pony said, soundin’ tired. “It ain’t fair. They get everything. We’re always left in the dirt.”

“I can’t take much more, I’ll kill myself or something,” Johnny said suddenly. Sometimes he really did feel like dying. He just wanted to escape from it all. An easy way to get out. To be rid of the socs and his parents. But he didn’t want to leave the gang.

“No! Don’t do that, Johnny boy. We need you,” Pony pleaded.

He took a drag silently before saying. “I won’t but I just wanna get outta here. Someplace where it’s all just normal peoples.”

“The country.” His eyes glowed and kept talking about stuff in the country. Johnny listened to all of it, also fantasizing about a world like Pony was imagining.

They both fell asleep eventually in the cold lot together.

**Author's Note:**

> i was plannin’ on posting it all in one chapter, but i’m gonna split it up into two or three


End file.
